Turns out, you're right. I called the Mrs. Stewart's company and they told us they had tried the very same experiment on their competitors blueing and it doesn't work. In other words, it HAS TO BE Mrs. Stewarts because of the requisite ingredients it contains. They offered a "Salt Crystal Garden" kit for $9.00. Can be purchased on their website - www.mrsstewarts.com. Thanks for your quick response.

good instructable i 65 years young can remember doing this as a kid we used a lump of hard coal, back them we burn coal for heat, give a 5 on this, lots old time fun things are being lost to kids, now thanks for posting

Love the movie! We just did this with a bunch of kids at VCS. It was a big success.
The crystals are very delicate and collapse when you touch them. They do grow right back in a day or so.
Instead of a TP roll, you can shape a pipe cleaner into a tree or snowflake or something and stick that in a sponge. The crystals will grow on it, making a cool sculpture.

I kid you not, in downtown Louisville at the Waterfront they have signs that warn people not to play in the fountains because they "contain high levels of hydrogen."
I kinda face-plained it the first time I read it, but it seriously works to keep people away. :P

Alternatively, you can also use dog shampoo made for white dogs. we used it at a daycare I worked at. The shampoo contains alot of bluing, especially the kind of shampoo that is meant to be diluted before use. Great instructable!

This was too cool.... Thanks for the posting. I am almost 54 yro. and can remember when my Dad did this a couple of times but for some reason we/he used a lump of bituminous coal. I am not sure where you could find coal here in Southeast Texas, or where we found some unless it was some we had brought back from the narrow gauge train out of Durango, Colorado. Anyway, thanks for sharing something that brought back some fun times as a kid.
I just wish some one could/would tell me where you could get those little "putt-putt" metal boats my Dad use to bring home. You would light this little candle that caused this small hollow metal "bladder" of sorts to heat up and propel the boat around the bath tub. They came in very small to fairly good size ones.

I don't know for sure. but I doubt it it is. Gonna find out as I just made a mix with out it. Here in the oil patch you do find such growths around pipe connections that carry brine, but seep ever so slightly. Often seen on oil well stuffing boxes.